STAR TREK STARBASE 248 1x05 To Taste DeathOnce
by Man of Trek Lore
Summary: Some graphically descriptive scenes of violence may not be suitable for younger readers... After a Federation Starship is devistated by Negarani, SB248 sends Nakajima and Wing to investigate... only to become victims themselves. Special Guest Star: Star
1. Default Chapter

TEASER

**Outside Negarani Space...**

"Hull breach, deck five-forward!" called the engineer.

Captain Holland lept up as his _Excelsior_ class _U.S.S. Mukaihara_ was coming apart from under him. What the hell did the Negarani want this time? For the life of him, he didn't know – but the Negarani were destroying his ship for some reason.

Maybe revenge from last month?

Whatever the reason, the Negarani, or Negs as the fleet has begun calling them, have decided to open up a whole new can of whoopass on a starship doing research on a pulsar.

So wrong...

"Force field in place," Commander Tuvok called, who had taken over tactical for a fallen crewman. "Three more ships have dropped out of warp."

"What the hell is going on with these people?" Holland demanded to know. "Engineering, I need warp power!"

"You've got warp two only. It's all I can give you!"

"Mister Tuvok, hail SB248, ESC. Helm, get us out of here!"

Tuvok and the helmsman complied, as the Negarani continued to give the _Mukaihara_ a royal beatdown. A few explosions sent sparks flying everywhere. And suddenly Holland had a burn beginning on his face...

If only he had called Stella this morning...

END OF TEASER

**_On the Edge of the Final Frontier..._**

**_In the Heart of the Federation's most valuable_**

**_Resources..._**

**_One station must protect that which is most dear..._**

**_And, of course..._**

_**To Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone, Before.**_

STAR TREK 

**STARBASE 248**

**Starring**

**Bruce McGawan**

**Kaori Nakajima**

**Tao Xan Nu Wing**

**Harry Kim**

**Michael Dallas**

**Doc**

**Based upon STAR TREK created**

**By Gene Roddenberry**

**Created by**

**Man of Trek Lore**

**©2004 Paramount Pictures**

**©2004 Man of Trek Lore**


	2. Act I

ACT I

"**_To Taste Death But Once"_**

Guest Starring 

**Tuvok**

**Evil Terrorist Guy**

**Written by**

**Man of Trek Lore**

Station Log, Stardate 60511.1 

**This week is starting off rather well. I'm touring the _Northstar_ (Nakajima decided to make the ship's name one-word. Don't know why, since North and Star are two words...) Anyway, the station's staff has taken to working on their new project workhorse, rather than keeping up with station maitenence.**

**I'm going to have to have a little chitchat with Mister Kim about that...**

"Bring the plasma flow up another point-zero-zero-seven kilapascals," Lieutenant Commander Harry Kim ordered from his station crewman, who was working on an EPS manifold in a service juncture. The corridor on the deck began to light up a little bit more. "Good," he said. "Keep it steady. Bring the secondary power cuplinks online now."

The crewman did so. Then, the rest of the corridor lit up. "I think we got it."

Suddenly, the manifold sparked. A spark landed on the side of the crewman's face, and he went down, covering it. Then, the power went out.

Harry helped him up. "You all right?"

"Yeah, that just caught me offguard," the crewman said. "I think the cuplinks aren't compatible with this manifold."

Kim scanned it with a handy tricorder. Lo-and-behold, the crewman was right. "Why the hell would they give us a _Galaxy_-class power cuplink instead of a _Nova_ class cuplink?"

"_Nova_s aren't mass produced; I guess they thought 'One size fits all'," the crewman thought aloud.

"You're probably right." Kim sighed. "I'll go up to ops and have a talk with Commander Barnum at Utopia Planitia. I'm sure she has a few from an _Intrepid_ in stock she can send over here."

"No problem, Sir."

Just as Kim turned around, he was stopped by Captain Bruce McGawan, who smiled down at him. "Commander."

"Captain." Kim gulped. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"For one, you can get the replicators on level ten back online," McGawan said. "And you still haven't fixed that power relay that goes into my office yet."

"As I said before, power allocation has been cut in half because we're still cleaning up from the cockroaches on level five," Kim said. "We're still trying to reinstall the old powerframe before we put the new ones in to supplement it."

"So, we have additional power?"

Kim shook his head. "Level five had a critical power junction that needs immediate repair. We've been working on it for the last three months..."

"What's taking you?"

"The part is from a time when Regula-style bases were still being used across the Federation," Kim said. "It's practically classic 23rd century tech from Captain Kirk's time. It's so damned efficient but it's so damned hard to replace."

"Well, instead of playing with yourself here on the _Northstar_, I suggest you get to work to continue to fix my station," McGawan said. "It is why I hired you—"

Suddenly, a comm signal sounded, with: "Situation alert! Senior officers to Operations," said Lieutenant Tao Xan Nu Wing's voice.

"What's going on?" McGawan demanded to know as he, Commander Kaori Nakajima, and Kim exited the turbolift on the upper level of operations.

Wing, sitting at his station, turns around in his swivel chair. "We're receiving an automated distress call from the _Mukaihara_. They've been attacked by Negarani warships."

"The Negs again?" McGawan called. "What's the position of the _Mukaihara_?"

Kim ran a sweep of the area. "They're near the Lambda Epsilon system, drifting towards a pulsar at full impulse."

"That pulsar will tear that ship apart," Nakajima said aloud.

"Yes, and the Lambda Epsilon system fell to the Negs four months ago," McGawan recalled.

"The _Mukaihara_ will reach the pulsar in thirty-seven point six hours," Kim concluded.

"We should take the _Northstar_," Wing said. "We can cover that distance in half the time."

Kim shook his head. "She's not even space worthy yet."

"You're stuck with runabouts," McGawan said. To Nakajima, he said: "Get the hell out there and find out what's going on."

"Wing, you're with me. Mister Kim, have the hauler bay prep the _Ohio_."

"Aye, Commander."

With that, Wing and Nakajima left Ops and headed for the hauler bay.

Three hours later, the _Ohio_ dropped out of warp. Slowly, the runabout came upon a heap, what was left of the _Mukaihara_. The vessel had been torn apart from the outside. The scans of the interior showed much worse damage.

"There is all kinds of internal damage," Nakajima said. "The bridge has been destroyed, warp engines are offline. I'm reading minimum life support on the decks that haven't been exposed to space. And I'm not reading any emergency force fields. The breaches decompressed most of the ship. Any Negs in the area?"

Wing checked, and shook his head. "Not that I can see. There are plasma trails left and right, but they originated near the Lambda Epsilon system."

"According to the captain, this is a hotspot. We need to tread carefully," Nakajima said. "Scan for biosigns."

Wing complied. As he continued to do so, Nakajima checked on the general condition of the interior of the surviving areas. They seemed stable enough for humanoid support. Should anyone be alive, that's where Wing would look. In fact... "I'm picking up two biosigns. One strong, one faint. Human and Vulcan."

"Communications are down," Nakajima said. "First thing's first. Bringing us to within tractor range."

The _Ohio_ came screaming over the forward saucer hull of the _Mukaihara_. Nakajima brought the runabout up to a stable point on the ship's forward saucer. Then, Wing fired the tractor beam.

"Full reverse," Nakajima said, bringing the _Ohio_ into a full reverse motion. It took a while, but it managed to slow the _Mukaihara_ enough as to where it wasn't soaring for a pulsar's gravity well anymore. Nakajima nodded to Wing, who looked confused. "I'm going aboard the _Mukaihara_. Put me down next to the life signs."

"Are you sure you wanna-"

"Just do it, Tao."

Wing nodded. "Bringing us into position."

As Wing did so, Nakajima changed into an EV suit, just in case. She took a medical kit, and then stepped into the transporter arch. "Energize."

The blue wash of columns faded out the forward view of the _Ohio_. When the transporter effect ended, Nakajima found herself breathing stale air, and inside a sealed compartement in engineering.

Qucikly, she looked around, and found a dark-skinned Vulcan and a human female. The female was laying in a bloody heap, while the Vulcan tended to her. Quickly, Nakajima rushed to them and scanned the female with a tricorder. What turned up was ugly. She was going to die in a matter of moments. There was nothing she could do, or Doc could, for that matter.

Then, Nakajima introduced herself.

"Commander Tuvok, Starfleet Command," the Vulcan introduced.

"Is there anyone else?"

Tuvok simply said: "No. No one else survived."

Nakajima hit her combadge. "Nakajima to _Ohio_. Wing, lock onto all three of us and beam us aboard."

"_Stand by_," Wing replied.

Once again, the transporter effect began and ended. Wing, who was waiting in front of the transporter platform, quickly took the patients into the back, with the help of Nakajima. However, once they put the poor girl onto a cot to help make her comfortable, she died.

Frustrated, Nakajima threw her medkit across the back compartement, and headed for the forward section. Wing couldn't leave Tuvok, as he stayed to help him.

Nakajima found herself sitting in the co-pilot's seat of the cockpit, staring out into space. _You can't save everyone, Kaori_, she thought to herself. Aloud she said: "Get the hell over it. You're a Vulcan!" But she couldn't bring herself to let her Vulcan side take control. _It should be easier than this!_

Nakajima closed her eyes, and took a deep breath...

_Once again, she stood on the precipice. It was peaceful here. She couldn't feel any sense of storm, nor was there the river of fire below her. The land was lush and green, but the sky was a little cloudy._

_Suddenly, it began to rain. It began to rain hard. And she couldn't find a way to bring the control back anymore..._

"Kaori? What's wrong?"

Nakajima openned her eyes, seeing Wing standing there, with a gentle hand on her left shoulder. The rain was still coming down.

Wing gently put a hand on her face, and wiped away the rain... and then Nakajima realized, she was crying. She fell into Wing's arms, and just went off, crying and whailing on like someone who has failed her mission.

Suddenly, the deck shook hard. That seemed to be a catalyst for bringing Nakajima out of her trance, and she sprung into action, ignoring her pain. As a Starfleet Officer, she knew her place. And she went to work as a Starfleet officer. "Three _Cypher_ class fighters just dropped out of warp, heading for our position."

"What the hell?" Wing was amazed, surprised, and scared. "_Cypher_ class? Those are Starfleet's newest fighters."

"I can't get a clear scan inside the vessels," Nakajima said. "Except that they've targeted our warp core."

"I'm getting us out of here," Wing said. "Setting a retreat course for SB248, maximum warp!"

However, the fighters were more maneuverable than the runabout. They quickly overtook the runabout, firing at their warp nacells. The _Ohio_ began to vent drive plasma.

"We're not getting out _that _way," Wing said.

Tuvok came into the cockpit. "Can I render assistance?"

"Took you long enough," Nakajima said. "Take tactical. Wing, try to get a message to SB248, ESC. I'm taking us into evasive maneuvers, full impulse."

Nakajima, expertly, flew the _Ohio_ around the Starfleet flighters' weapons fire. The _Cypher_ class fighter was a formidable fighter, with a single cockpit, and a design that closely resembled an F-14 Tomcat from old Earth, without the twin tails, and with warp nacells underneath the wings; also impulse engines for afterburners. They were stealthy and very maneuverable.

Nakajima screamed for a nearby ion storm, dispite the dangers. She knew what she was doing – it was most logical, after all, wasn't it?

Suddenly, the computer's alerts went off. "_Warning, ion-particle density rising._"

"Kaori," Wing said over his shoulder, "what are you doing?"

Cold and steady, Nakajima simply said: "Boldly going where no one has gone before."

"Into an _ion storm?_" Wing echoed. "No one since Captain Kirk has _ever_ gone head-first into an ion storm like this!"

"Then at least I know we can survive."

"But the _Enterprise_ was heavily damaged in the storm!" Wing reminded Nakajima. "We're a runabout. We have no chance to survive!"

"Then we'll just have to make our time, won't we," Nakajima said. "Increasing speed."

"You're going to devistate our manifolds before we reach the perimeter of the storm," Wing urged. "Don't do this!"

"And get beheaded? No thank you."

"The Negarani are closing," Tuvok interupted. "They are targetting our impulse engines."

"Evasive pattern alpha-six," Nakajima recorded. "They won't follow us into the storm."

Suddenly, the Negarani vessels outran, and blocked the runabout, firing directly at the forward section. Nakajima, to keep from colliding, had to evade, bringing the vessel about. That was the window the Negarani needed, as they knocked out the runabout's impulse engines. They slid to a stop.

"Weapons!" Nakajima called.

Just as Wing and Tuvok armed themselves, and Nakajima took a phaser from the drawer under her console, ten Negarani militants beamed aboard.

"Where did these guys come from?" Nakajima wondered.

The leader of the group nodded to the forward window. Nakajima turned to see five Negerani freighters sitting directly off the bow. "With your sensors being jammed by the ion storm's particles," the lead militant said, "it gave us the window we needed to take your ship, and you, captive. You cannot escape."

END OF ACT I


	3. Act II

ACT II

STARBASE 248 

Kim's console blared off for attention, as McGawan came onto Ops from the lower level. "We're picking up a faint distress call on ESC," Kim reported.

"The runabout?"

Kim shrugged, running a scan that turned up nothing. "It's too weak to get an origin or recorded content. It's just the triggering protocol. Nothing tracable and no content in the call."

"Should I send a ship to check on the runabout?"

Kim shook his head. "We can't. The _Gulfstream_ is undergoing a refit at Utopia Planitia and won't be back for another week. The _Gertland_ is in Sector 210, checking on the status of the Hikarus Colony. And the _Detroit_ hasn't come back from its run to Deep Space Nine yet. They're nowhere near the sector."

"Damn," McGawan said, pounding a fist onto the railing. "Could we have the _Northstar_ ready for launch?"

Kim, again, shook his head. "We're in the middle of a refit. It's not even space-ready yet."

"Then what options do we have?"

"Nothing right now," Kim said. "I can tell the crews on the _Northstar_ to get the ship ready for emergency launch."

"How long will that take?"

"Five days, minimum."

"Nix that idea," McGawan said. He sighed and surrendered. "We'll just have to wait it out, won't we? You have Ops, Commander. I'll be in my office."

"Yes, Captain."

Two of the ten Negarani manned the operations and helm consoles. One of them, the pilot with a blue strip down the middle of his black mask, found a bad difficulty. "Leader!"

The leader (classic red mask, gold trim) came up next to the pilot. "What is it?"

"Whoever was flying was pretty crafty. The ion density count is too high," said the pilot. "The impulse reactor does not work at all."

"Thrusters?"

The pilot tried. Nothing. "Same thing. We're too close to the ion storm to get a good start of the engines right now."

"Clever." The leader, then, took his phaser rifle, and stood before the three sitting Starfleet officers. "Which one of you was flying?"

No one answered.

"I won't ask again," the leader said. "Which one of you was flying this vessel?"

Finally, gulping, Nakajima rose to her feet. "I was flying."

The leader nodded. Holding the barrel of the phaser rifle, he swung it, making a direct connection to Nakajima's jawline. She sprawled, violently, to the deck, where green blood began to seap out of her mouth slowly.

When Wing got up to check on her, another Negarani guard stood between them. "Do _not_ aid her."

"She's injured! She could die-"

"Then let her die," the militant said. The militant grabbed Wing's head by its turf, and he took out a _d'artag_ knife, holding it to his neck. "Or _you_ will die."

Nakajima managed to nod at Wing, who surrendered to the guard. With that, the militant let Wing go sit back down.

"What goal do you hope to accomplish?" Tuvok wondered aloud. "You have captured a non-classified Starfleet vessel, which has no revolutionary technology. Nor does it have access to a Starfleet database plug."

"It's not the content of the vessel," the leader said. "It's who is on the vessel that counts."

"I do not understand," Tuvok admitted.

"Of course it does," Wing said. "This whole thing was to get us to get Commander Tuvok, wasn't it? Taking out the _Mukaihara_ was just icing on the cake."

"With the capture and beheading of Commander Tuvok," the leader said, "Starfleet will have no choice but to bow down to our might. No longer is anyone safe in this sector unless you, Starfleet, leave here. And with the death of you and Commander Nakajima," the militant continued, "Starbase 248 will be a closed matter."

"You are familiar with our personell?" Wing wondered.

"Of course, Lieutenant Wing," said the militant. "I am all _too_ familiar with your personell. We have been briefed. We were hoping to get to your captain again. But since he was too much of a coward to come by himself, well... his security advisor and first officer will do just fine."

"So," Nakajima said, coughing, and sitting up straight, wiping the blood off of her face. "Your motives are totally political?"

"All wars for freedom are political," the militant said. A moment later, the lead militant stepped around the Starfleet officers, and joined the pilot at the helm. "Have our support craft come around for a tractor tow. Get us out of this ion field."

The pilot nodded and signaled a freighter. The freighter came around, and took up a tractor position. It fired their beam, but nothing. It sputtered out of existence. The pilot shook his head. "Ion concentration is too high."

"We have another problem," said the militant at operations. "The ion storm has changed its heading. It's coming in our direction."

The lead militant signaled his communicator. "Alpha to Ship Delta. Come around for transport."

The communicator crackled. "_We cannot get a lock,_" said the militant on the other end. "_You are too close to the ion storm's perimeter._"

"Then dock with us," the leader said. A long pause. Then, static filled the communicator. "Ship Delta, do you read me? This is Alpha." Then, nothing. "Ship Omega, do you copy?" Nothing.

"Leader," said the pilot. "Our ships are leaving."

"Those ungreatful cowards," the lead militant said. "Can we survive the ion storm?"

The militant at operations raised the shields. "I've rerouted our engine power from impulse and thrusters to the deflector screens and sheilds. They should hold just fine during the storm."

"How large is the storm?" the leader wanted to know.

The response he got was a shrug. "Sensors are inoperative this close to the ion storm."

"Then, we go for a ride," the leader said. "On the other side, I want this ship moving and I want these Starfleet officers beheaded when we get out of the storm. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Leader," the operations officer said. "Long live the Negarani!"

The militant held up his rifle. "Long live the Negarani!"

"It has been six hours," Nakajima whispered, as Wing helped to nurse the wound. "And we haven't even been in this storm a quarter of the way yet."

"Hold still," Wing said, applying a dermal regenerator that the leader let him have. "You have a nasty cut here."

"It hurts like hell," Nakajima said, almost crying. "Why us? What's so important about us? I don't understand..."

"Shh," Wing said, trying to ease Nakajima. "Close your eyes—"

"I _CAN'T_ meditate!" Nakajima said. "I'm too scared. They could kill us at any moment."

"Panicing will not help the situation, Kaori," Wing said. "We have to remain calm and focus."

"Focus on what? There are ten of them and three of us. We're outnumbered by seven. And they have the guns."

Tuvok began to search around, checking out every console. They all appeared to be manned. "It is clear that their adjenda also includes securing this vessel. Is there any particular reason why?"

Wing shrugged. "I can't imagine it."

"This ship was going to be outfitted for the _Northstar_," Nakajima said. Then, she suddenly realized something. "Oh shit..."

"What?" Wing's attention spiked.

"The _Northstar_'s database," Nakajima said. "They _knew_ somehow, that this was the runabout. So they took it!" She said this in a loud whisper.

The leader strutted back onto the cockpit from the aft section, scratching his eyes through the mask. "Anything?" he asked the operations officer.

The militant shook his head. "No, Leader. I cannot unlock their database."

Tuvok leaned over to Nakajima and Wing. "Commander, how much information is in that database?"

"Everything is classified," Nakajima whispered. "If they get their hands on the plans for the _Northstar_, it's all over."

"Then I will endeavor to make sure that they do not take this ship, or the information contained within it," Tuvok said.

"What do you suggest?" Wing wondered.

"On my mark," Tuvok said to Wing, "right behind you is the auxiliary power junction for external systems."

"No," Wing said. "I don't wanna die today. You want me to cut the shields' power supply?"

"Yes," Tuvok said.

"That will kill us all—"

Nakajima interupted this time. "It's the only logical thing to do. Commander, let me lower the shields."

Tuvok shook his head. "No. You are in no condition to do anything. You will remain here. Lieutenant Wing, should I fail, you must cut the power. Is that clear?"

Wing swallowed that hard, and nodded. "Understood."

"If things don't work out, I'll distract them," Nakajima said. "Be careful, Commander."

Quickly, Tuvok rose from his spot, and approached the front, where the lead militant readied his phaser rifle. "Sit back down, Vulcan."

"It seems you are having a bit of difficulty," Tuvok said.

"It's not your concern, Vulcan," said the Negarani leader. "Sit back down, or I will tear your stomach open with my rusty blade."

Tuvok eyed his target on the operations console. Then, he turned back to the leader. "I have the codes with which you can access this ship's database. If you will allow me to implement them, the database can become available to you."

The leader readied his phaser rifle. "Any dirty tricks, Vulcan, and you will never see the light of day again. Do what you must, but no more."

The operations militant yielded the console, as Tuvok took a seat. He implimented another layer of encryption, while he lowered the shields.

"_Warning_," the computer said with an eerie buzz, "_ion particle intensity reaching hazardous levels._"

"What the—"The lead militant grabbed Tuvok, and, with another militant, threw him across the cockpit. Quickly, they scurried to bring the shields back up.

That was Wing's cue. He reached inside, and gripped the conduits that powered the shields. He pulled, only to have a knife slice his wrist, deadly like. Losing control of his hand, Wing was unable to react. The militants dragged him back, and kicked him in the face a few times, until he fell to the ground in an unconscious, bloody heap.

"There," the operations officer said with a sigh. "Shields are up."

"He didn't unlock the database, did he?"

"No," the militant replied to the leader. "He added another layer of encryption."

The militant snarled, and nodded to Nakajima. "Kill the woman. Let the others watch."

END OF ACT II


	4. Act III

ACT III

The militants finished bringing the weakened Starfleet officers to the back of the craft. Nakajima was in a chair, with her hands tied behind her back, and her feet bound. Three militants, having a good time with her, stripped her of all of her clothing, and were fondling her every private area.

Nakajima was, all the while, screaming in agony, as the violation began.

Wing managed to stumble to his feet, and pointed at the militants. "You had... better stop that... right now," he said in a deadly calm voice.

One of the militants zipped his pants back up, and turned, grinning at Wing. "Or what, Starfleet? What will you do?"

Wing slowly stepped into a tiger-guard stance. "Or, I will be forced to take action."

The guard, laughing, picked up a phaser, and shot at Wing. Wing dodged successfully, and charged the one militant. Though, suddenly, Wing found himself on the deck, as another militant shot him in the side with a low-stun beam. That resulted in Tuvok dragging him back to their original spot, near the windows.

The militants laughed and continued their violation of Nakajima...

Captain Denise Oliver stood in McGawan's office, as McGawan showed her a set of sensor data. "This was the _Ohio_'s last recorded position."

"What the hell were they doing so close to that ion storm?" Oliver wondered. "That's the Batreka Ion Field. It's a slow ion storm that is caught in the orbit of Lambda Epsilon's outter most gravitational influence. It's one of the strongest ion storms of its kind. And the fastest moving."

"That's a class five ion storm?"

Oliver nodded. "The last storm that came near to Batreka, that was studied from the inside, by Starfleet, was the one the _Starship Enterprise_ encountered in the 23rd century."

"That lead to the first court martialing of a starship captain, did it not?"

Oliver nodded. "It wasn't Batreka, but it was just as dangerous."

"Do you think an _Akira-_class starship could get inside that nebula?" McGawan wondered.

With a shrug, Oliver said: "Possably. But we don't have the necessary equipement to handle scans inside of an ion storm like Batreka. We'd have to have a sensor network like a _Galaxy_ class or an _Intrepid_ class starship."

"The _Mercury_ won't be here for another month and a half, so we're stuck with the _Gertland,_" McGawan said. "Get on it, see what you can do."

Oliver nodded. "Aye, Captain."

Nakajima, once again, rejected some water that was presented to her. She sat in a corner, shivering, and covered. Green blood seeped from her mouth and her arms, where the militants forced themselves upon her. She also sat in a very small pool of her her own green blood.

"I," Nakajima said, through the shivers, "I... want them to kill me..."

"It's okay," Wing said, trying to calm her down. "It will be alright-"

"The HELL you say?!" Nakajima barked. "I feel totally worthless. Like I am a plaything for everyone... I want them to kill me. DO YOU HEAR ME?!" she screamed to the militants, who just laughed from outside of the cabin. "KILL ME YOU SONS OF BITCHES!" Nakajima, then, pushed Wing away. She ran for the table and began to trash it.

Wing shook off his face, and turned to Tuvok, who just watched. "She's Vulcan, alright."

"Miss Nakajima," Tuvok said, standing, and slowly approaching. "You must calm yourself."

Nakajima turned to Tuvok, picking up a vase. Standing naked and bloodied, she was ready to take heads. "Let's see what happens when angry militants rape YOU and make YOU suffer."

Tuvok came up on Nakajima, slowly approaching. "You are Vulcan. You must concentrate on the fire within you."

"Don't come ANY closer!" Nakajima said, getting ready to throw the vase at Tuvok. "I'll kill you, you worthless sonuvabitch."

"You are understandably emotional," Tuvok said. "Being part human makes it even more difficult for you to hold back your emtions. However, you must remain strong."

"Strong? You SAW what being strong got me! I SAID DON'T MOVE!" With that, she arched her arm back to throw the vase. However, Wing caught her arm, and held the other one behind her back.

Nakajima struggled. She strugled to free herself from Wing's grasp. Wing was having a hard enough time as it was, considering that Nakajima was almost thirty times as strong as her small arms made her appear.

But finally, she broke free. She ran for Tuvok. She almost lept into the air, but kept her feet on the ground during her attack. She arched her fist back, and all Tuvok did was put a hand on the side of her face, right on her _katra_ points.

As Nakajima screamed curses in Japanese, Tuvok chanted: "Your mind to my mind. Your thoughts to my thoughts."

Nearly instantly, Nakajima stopped cold. She just stood there, her eyes suddenly shut.

All the while, Wing dropped his jaw. He was amazed at just how powerful Vulcans can be. Especially the power to calm and to stop other Vulcans, just with a swift motion of his hand to a set of _katra_ points...

_The storm raged on. The rains had turned to fire. The thunder rolled. The fields were ablaze, now. And Kaori was burning alive. Standing over her was a shrouded figure, who constantly poked her and played with her with a huge metalic object, which the figure inserted, withdrew, and inserted in different spots._

_Symbolic of her inner agony, Tuvok realized, as he came in._

_This looked familiar to Tuvok. It was reminicent of what he encountered while he was earing _pon'far_ for the first time, while he studied the _kolinar_. He knew the symbols all too well._

_It was why he quit _kolinar_. The Vulcan psyche was not a kind thing, and Tuvok realized it._

_So did Kaori. It makes it harder for her, especially, being half human. Living with emotion was one of the biggest challenges of any Vulcan. From T'Pol, to Spock, and now to Kaori Nakajima. Whether the motions are brought on by neurotoxin or genetics, emotions and Vulcan logic don't mix._

_Tuvok crossed into the field of flames. Where he stepped, the flames died out, revealing untouched green grass. However, when Tuvok walked away from any point, the flames would restart again. This represented the flames of emotion in Kaori's _katra_, which burned with a fury unlike any other._

_Through the torture, Kaori managed to see Tuvok. At first, Tuvok believed that she would reject the intrusion. If that were to happen, Tuvok would break the meld. He was ready to do so._

_Hoever, Kaori began to slowly reach out to Tuvok. "Help...me..." she cried through a forced whisper. "Save...me...Tao..."_

_She called for Wing._

_Tuvok knelt down in front of Kaori, who was being prodded by the shrouded figure. When the figure attempted to extend another instrument towards Tuvok, Tuvok held up a hand. That, alone, was enough for the figured to back off and to not mind Tuvok._

_"You are in pain," Tuvok said simply. "You must concentrate."_

_"It's...too much...Tuvok...," Kaori through the agony. "I... can't..."_

_"You can," Tuvok argued. "You _must_. You are Vulcan. You are a logical being."_

_"I am human... I am emotional...."_

_"You are in control-"_

_"The Negarani are in control."_

_"They are on the outside," Tuvok reminded. "You are here, now. In the flames of your mind, they torment you. They touch your human side."_

_"They know...how to torment..."_

_"They are the demons," Tuvok said. "All demons can be defeated."_

_"How?"_

_"Push," Tuvok said. "Push the shrouded figure."_

_"I can't..." Kaori squeezed her eyes closed as the figure continued to play. "The figure...is also... me..."_

_Tuvok eyed the shrouded figure, who ignored him. He managed to remove the shroud, revealing Kaori once more. "Is this a self-suicide?"_

_"This is what I am," Kaori, as the shrouded figure, said. "I am human. Vulcan logic has never gotten me anywhere."_

_"You have become acustomed to torturing yourself?"_

_"It is my punishment for my failure," Kaori said. She turned to the Kaori she was torturing, and she spit at her. "This one is worthless, and not worthy to survive."_

_"All life," Tuvok said, "is worthy to survive."_

_"The Negarani do not believe this is so," Shrouded Kaori said._

_"You are Starfleet," Tuvok said, coming closer to the shrouded figure. "You are Vulcan. You are not Negarani." With one swift motion, Tuvok gave the shrouded figure a nerve pinch. The figure rippled out of existence._

_Tuvok, then, turned to Kaori in the pit, and knelt in front of her. "Close your eyes."_

_"What for-"_

_"Close your eyes," Tuvok said, placing a hand on her _katra_ points. "Allow what is natural to overcome you."_

_"That's impossible," Kaori said. "I am—"_

_"It is not impossible," Tuvok said._

_Kaori closed her eyes. She naturally rejected Tuvok's advice, and drew upon the advice of her very wise teacher. "Bring centre and harmony to your _chi_," she said. "Let the inner peace prevail."_

_"This is the principle of control," Tuvok said. "Logic is the centre of control."_

_"_Chi_ is the centre of logic."_

_"The soul is the center of your inner essence," Tuvok continued._

_"The universe is ever changing," Kaori said, breathing..._

..."Yet," Wing repeated with her, as Tuvok and Nakajima continued to meld. Wing massaged Nakajima's free shoulder, as he repeated with her. "The universe has an order to it, through the chaos..."

_..."Order is the foundation of logic," Tuvok said._

_"Logic is the essence of control," Kaori said, taking a deep breath._

_"You are in control."_

_Another breath. "I am in control."_

"You are in control," Wing read.

_"I am in... control!"_

**Captain's Log, Stardate 60547.8**

**The _Gertland_ has arrived at the Batreka Ion Field, and we are prepairing to enter the storm. However, the Negarani aren't making it easy for us.**

"Captain," Lieutenant Charles Benning said from the tactical position, next to the helm. "They've formed a blockade."

"It figures," Oliver said, as she centered into her command chair. "Mister Holiday, how are those shield modifications coming?"

"I've almost got it," Ensign Alex Holiday said from an enegineering station. "For this to work, we'll have to get to within ten meters of the _Ohio_ to get a solid tractor lock."

Oliver snarled. "Get it ready by the time we get to the _Ohio_. Mister Benning, set off your smoke screen."

The _Gertland_ offloaded a few quantom torpedoes. Before they hit anything, the _Akira_ class starship fired at them, setting them off. The chain reaction created a pocket of dense particles, which irritated nearby stray ions from the storm.

"Their sensors should be offline now," Benning said.

"Let's get it on," Oliver said. "Take us into the storm. Slow to three-quarters impulse once we've entered the storm's outter parimeter."

"Aye Captain," called the helmsman.

Within seconds, the _Gertland_ screamed for the ion storm. Within seconds after it, the _Gertland_ disappeared into the outter edge, and into the true danger zone.

END OF ACT III


	5. Act IVCreditsNext Ep Preview

ACT IV

Wing wrapped a bandage around Nakajima's leg, to stop the bleeding. He smiled, but her face was unwavering. Scary, almost true Vulcan-like. Wing should be proud, but he felt a bit inadequite.

Nakajima simply nodded and said: "Thank you, Lieutenant."

"Kaori?" Wing wondered aloud. "Are you okay?"

Nakajima simply raised an eyebrow in pure Vulcan form. "I am fine, Lieutenant. Carry on with your duties."

Three Negerani came into the aft cabin, one of them slipped a _d'artag_ into his belt sash, and another one, the leader, came forward. "It is time for her to die now. You have nursed her wounds enough."

Wing slowly stood, turning to the Negarani, crouching into a tiger-stance. "If you want to get to the woman, you will have to go through me."

The two flanking militants readied their rifles. However, the leader put up a hand, and their weapons lowered. "Okay," he said, taking his belt off, which holstered his weapon. It hit the deck with a loud clank. "Then I will go through you."

At that moment, the leader unexpectedly lunged at Wing, who dodged the surprise attack with a clean sweep to behind the leader. The leader stopped, and blocked a kick to his back, as he spun and swept Wing's support leg from underneath him. Wing hit the deck with a loud thud, and a slight muffled wince of pain.

A moment later, the leader came around, and threw a foot down to Wing's stomach. Wing rolled out of the way, and performed a perfect, connecting, tornado kick, which sent the leader stumbling back.

Quickly, Wing got to his feet, and entered into a mantis-stance. From there, he waited. And the militant took the bait, as he performed a strange move that Wing had never seen before. It was slow, though. He blocked a single punch, but wasn't ready for a punch-kick combination in some odd fashion that landed on his kidneys.

Wing countered with a round-house kick, followed by a crab-grab with his feet, in an attempt to throw the militant to the deck. It halfway succeeded, but the militant countered with an elbow to Wing's midsection. The scary part was that the move connected at a critical juncture in the move, which sent Wing stumbling to the deck.

The leader jumped forward, and smashed Wing in the stomach. Wing instantly spit-up blood, clutching the militant's leg. With a kick to the head, Wing went unconscious.

As the battle ended, the militant dusted himself off, and took his belt back. "Bring her," he said, not even breaking a sweat. "This man will be next, when he awakens."

The militants grabbed Nakajima, and dragged her to the front cabin.

Suddenly, a jolt caught their attention. The small runabout began to move faster and faster. And in just a few moments, the runabout was back into normal space, at the behest of a tractor beam... of an _Akira_ class Federation Starship.

"Could it be him?" the operations officer asked.

The leader shook his head. "It's not him..."

Suddenly, seven transporter beams appeared in the cabin. Once they took form, one of the militants made for Nakajima's neck with a _d'artag._ However, he never made it, as one of the Starfleet security officers blasted him with a phaser, sprawling him to the deck.

Several more militants came running forward, attacking the Starfleet intruders. However, they were dealt with swiftly.

As his men died all around him, the lead militant turned to the Starfleet crew, and unstrapped several photon grenades. "They're set to high yield. Drop your weapon or you will all die!"

Making a quick snap decision, one of the Starfleet guards whipped his phaser rifle power up to full power, and shot the Negarani lead militant. He vaporized, along with his bomb.

"Secure the ship!" the officer in charge shouted.

Three medics beamed aboard the _Ohio_, and immediately tended to a naked, and embarassed, Nakajima. The officer in charge knelt down next to Nakajima, and identified himself. "Lieutenant Charles Benning, _Starship Gertland_."

Nakajima fainted into Benning's arms. Quickly, he slapped his combadge. "Benning to _Gertland_, medical emergency."

**Station Log, Supplemental.**

**The _Gertland_ has returned to the station and the survivors are recovering in Sickbay. The damage to the runabout is beling repaired, and refits continue on the _Northstar._**

A single flame flickered on a small table in front of Nakajima, as she closed her eyes. Her hair, down. Her robe was her mother's family crest. And she closed her eyes, meditating.

However, she was interupted by the door chime.

Blinking once, Nakajima looked up. "Come."

As the doors swished open, Wing entered with some flowers. Nakajima just sat at the table, watching the flame. However, she knew who it was and what he wanted. "Put them on the table by the bedroom."

"How did you know—"

"You are the tenth person to deliver me flowers today," Nakajima admitted. "The last one was from Crewman Santos in Waste Extraction."

"That piece of shit," Wing said with a sarcastic smile. After complying with her request, Wing sat on the other side of the flame, noticing a _real_ book next to the candle. "Teachings of Surak?"

"I have decided to pick it up again," Nakajima said. "I had started to read it when I was in sickbay. Commander Tuvok suggested that I do so."

Wing became a little green. "It seems you have found yourself a new teacher." Said in a harsh voice.

Nakajima snapped out of her flame-trance, and eyeballed Wing. "What was that all about?"

Wing sighed and shook his head. "Nevermind. I'm sorry I interupted your meditation time."

As he began to walk out, Nakajima stood, and grabbed Wing's arm to stop him. It worked. "Now wait a minute. What was that attitude all about?"

Wing put a hand on her other arm, and looked into her eyes. "You have been through a lot. It is normal to want to grasp something like 'Surak' and reject your emotions, and your trauma. It's the same thing that happens when a human gets drunk after his world falls apart-"

"You _totally_ don't get it do you," Nakajima said. "I _am_ dealing with my emotions! You have no_ clue_ what is going on inside my head."

"I want to help you deal with them all," Wing said. "Like I have been since I have known you."

"You are my wise teacher, and you will always be my best friend," Nakajima said. "But," surrendering, "you also have to understand _my_ heritage, too. I _am_ Vulcan. I may be human, but I am also _Vulcan._ I have to deal with these emotions on my own. This time... I need to do so. Please understand me, okay?"

Doc stood in sickbay, staring at a medical padd, when McGawan walked in. "Hey Doc, you wanted to see me?"

Doc nodded and handed McGawan a padd. "What's this?"

"An ultrasound I ran on Commander Nakajima during her time here in sickbay," Doc said. "It's normal to run an ultrasound on victims who have had severe trauma done to certain places on their bodies, such as head, stomach, and so forth."

"Is this growth normal?" McGawan wondered, pointing to a small finger-shapped spot that Doc circled on the padd.

Doc nodded. "For a mother."

McGawan stopped, eyes wide, and shot his gaze straight up at Doc.

**Executive Producer  
Man of Trek Lore**

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**  
Cast  
  
Bruce McGawan  
  
Kaori Nakajima  
  
Harry Kim  
  
Tao Xan Nu Wing  
  
Michael Dallas**

**Special Guests  
**

**Denise Oliver**

**Commander Tuvok**

**Leader**

**Operations Militant**

**Helm Militant**

**Badass Militant**

**STAR TREK  
STARBASE 248  
  
Executive Producer  
Man of Trek Lore  
  
Executive Consultant  
Midnight Dove  
  
Main Characters Created by  
Man of Trek Lore  
  
Based upon "STAR TREK" Created by  
Gene Roddenberry  
  
STAR TREK  
  
Executive Producer  
Rick Berman  
Brannon Bragga  
Manny Coto  
  
©2004 Paramount Pictures  
©2004 Man of Trek Lore  
  
This is a work of FICTION. Any or all events portrayed in this story are  
made up of FICTIONAL elements. Any simililarity to actual events, or  
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STAR TREK is ©1966-2004 Paramount Pictures. This work is a work of FAN- MADE FICTION. It is made for the sole purpose of entertaining the fans, ONLY. No profit is being sought by the release of this production. As a work of FAN FICTION, the production staff is NOT affiliated with Paramount Television, Pictures, or any departement that deals officially with STAR  
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Characters and properties are all ©Paramount Pictures  
  
All rights reserved under copyright law.  
  
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**ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF**

**STAR TREK**

**STARBASE 248**

The Negarani claim another victim!

As a world, devistated by terrorism, begins to die, Captain McGawan and Lieutenant Commander Kim must go to the rescue of the last survivors of a dead world. Can they be saved from extinction?

Find out on the next episode of

**STAR TREK STARBASE 248**


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